Epoxy resins generally have excellent characteristics in electrical insulating property, heat resistance, corrosion resistance, adhesive property and so on, and can be used in the form of a liquid, a paste, a sheet and a powder. Therefore, the epoxy resins can be used in various fields. Further, various compositions are possible, making it possible to vary the characteristics of cured product depending upon the purpose of use. This is one of the reasons that the epoxy resins are widely used.
However, despite such excellent characteristics, it is difficult for the epoxy resin to have both the chemical resistance and the flexibility. Therefore, in the case where a flexible epoxy resin or a rubber-modified epoxy resin is used to improve the flexibility, the chemical resistance generally deteriorates. On the other hand, where the crosslinking density of the epoxy resin after curing is increased to improve the chemical resistance, the flexibility deteriorates.
Under the above circumstances, as a result of an intensive study, it has been found that the co-use of specific resins of a rubber-modified epoxy resin and a phenoxy resin can impart both the chemical resistance and the flexibility, and due to the use of the rubber-modified epoxy resin, an excellent adhesiveness can be exhibited over a broad temperature range of from room temperature to a high temperature. It has been further found that the addition of a curing agent and an organic solvent to a composition comprising the rubber-modified epoxy resin and phenoxy resin can provide an epoxy resinbased paint having excellent properties of chemical resistance and flexibility, and a further addition of metal powder to the above resin composition can impart spot weldability to the resulting composition. The present invention has been established based on the above findings.